Television of any kind is not recommended for babies. I should say that a different way - television has been found to harm small babies. Yet, millions of mothers turn it on and pray that their sanity will more than make up for the potential havoc television can wreak on the developing minds of their children. I confess. I am one of them.

Thirty-two Whole Free Minutes!

I purchased the Baby Einstein DVD "Baby's First Moves" out of curiosity at first, but if I'd waited much longer I'm sure it would have been out of desperation. We don't have the television on when the baby is awake save for a little bit of the Weather Channel in the a.m. (she can really get down to the jazzy music that plays during "Weather on the 8's), but I have played this video for her several times a week when I just needed to accomplish something and didn't have the luxury of a friend or family member waiting with open arms to help out.

Baby Einstein is a series of DVD's, toys and books that are sold under the guise of being educational, but at 5 months of age (the age my daughter was when we purchased this DVD) there really isn't much education you can give a child. Stimulation, yes - but education? This DVD was certainly stimulating, but not overly so - probably because I didn't play it constantly. There is an evil "Repeat Play" feature on the DVD menu, but I'm very proud to say that I never used it. I typically put my baby in her stationary play station with some juice and a toy and rushed to get my business done within one showing.

Recommended for Babies Ages 3 Mos. Plus

This movie has a runtime of 32 minutes and shows babies perfoming milestones like rolling, crawling, walking, kicking and dancing with energizing classical music in the background. These scenes are interspersed with vignets that feature the Baby Einstein puppets that manage to entertain and captivate without provoking fear or anxiety. This isn't true of some of the Baby Einstein movies developed for older babies, in which the puppets get a little bit more malicious in their tricks and play, but even my sensitive baby was unphased by the games and interactions in this film. One of the main reasons why I didn't feel that this movie would damage my child is that its pace is much like reading a book. With the exception of the skippy Dancing chapter, the movie doesn't flip-flip-flip from one frantic scene to the next.

The film also shows several of the Baby Einstein toys, and admittedly those do get a little creepy for moms. Is there such a thing as a completely noncreepy marionette? Special features include a video that encourages new moms to get into shape by moving with their babies. You can't perform many of these exercises with a baby smaller than six or seven months of age, and if you wait much later than that you're too tired to do them anyway but I'm sure that many moms have and will enjoy the special feature.

The movie is also available in Spanish and French, though we never tested these language tracks. I did watch some of the special feature puppet shows and saw the Little Einsteins commercial about 200 times, but other than that the main feature provided a focal point for my baby while I took a conference call or threw in a load of laundry.

My baby is just over one year of age now and while she still likes this movie, I rarely put it on. I have a new one that is more age appropriate for her. She never moved with the movie, in spite of the slightly annoying coaxing of the voiceover talent. Mostly, she loved watching the smiling, happy babies and the silly puppets playing peekaboo.

A Good Gift Only For Moms Who Are Close Friends

I would definitely buy this as a shower gift for a mom who I knew well enough to know wouldn't be offended by the prospect of inviting a baby to watch a movie. It's a controversial decision and not one every mother would or should make, but when I used it sparingly, I found that I was able to make the home more comfortable and I was rejuvinated.

Five out of five stars.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4